Tribute
by ifonly13
Summary: Will romance spark between a writer and a detective at a night dedicated to her mother's memory?
1. Chapter One

_A/N: I have been working on this little piece of fluff for a while, afraid to bare it to the world. It had been my sweet piece and I didn't want it shot down. But thanks to the kind words from readers of All My Secrets, here is Tribute. There will be at least two chapters of pure sugar-rush coming your way!_

_EDIT: A kind reader and reviewer alerted me to an important slip-up which has been altered. Thank you, Kie Santiago!_

**_Disclaimer: The real boss of the Twelfth is Andrew Marlowe, not I._**

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><p>It was snowing lightly. The day had been quiet in the precinct due to the chill that had settled over New York City, keeping people inside and giving Kate Beckett plenty of time to think about what was going to happen tonight.<p>

She was standing in her apartment that was filled with the sounds of a piano concerto, wrapped in a towel and contemplating the dress hanging on her closet door. The dress code for the night was cocktail at her insistence, so the dress was a simple sleeveless knee-length one. The navy blue fabric was soft as she stepped into it. Because she was alone, Kate allowed herself a moment to spin, watching the full skirt flare out, then settle back against her legs. After a moment, she put on her only jewelry: her father's watch, which clashed with the semi-formality of the event, and the long chain that held her mother's sapphire ring.

After carefully applying her make-up and pinning her curls up out of her face while leaving the rest hanging down her back, Kate slipped on black heels, grabbed the handbag that held her phone, badge, and back-up sidearm, and pulled on her red wool coat and cream scarf before locking the apartment behind her. She had thought about driving herself to the party, but decided against it in case anything came up in that she wouldn't be able to drive herself back home.

It was a miracle that she was able to hail a cab right outside of her building. She was quiet during the ride, ignoring the vibrating of her cell phone in her handbag. The clock on the taxi dashboard had her full attention. The red numbers, 5:39, kept counting up. It was 6:04 when Kate paid the driver.

She stood outside the building, looking at it in much the same way as she had looked at the dress back in her apartment. It looked like any other of the high-class buildings that dotted the Upper West Side. The dark grey marble was accented by silver, the address chiseled into the stone near the doorway.

"Beckett?"

She turned and a smile crept onto her face. He looked far too handsome in the dark blue suit, the top button of the crisp white shirt undone. His hair was a little messy, like he had just gotten out of the shower before getting dressed and heading uptown to the building.

"Hey, Castle." She waited until he reached her side until gesturing up at the building's façade. "I was just admiring the exterior. I mean, wow."

"It's nothing. Really. Want to see the inside?" he asked as he held his arm out for her.

She smiled a little, then looped her arm through his. "Lead the way."

The lobby was of lighter marble than the exterior. A long bar ran along the left side of the room, two uniformed bartenders setting up for the night. On the ground, there was a winding dark green carpet that snaked from the doorway to the ballroom. Every few feet, there was a free-standing candelabra that lent a soft glow to the walkway. Between the lights, large white pots held a symphony of flowers in every color imaginable.

Kate stopped short, her mouth falling open slowly as her arm dropped from Castle's elbow.

"What is it?" Castle was looking around, wondering what had obviously bothered her so much. He stood silently as she started walking along the twisting green path.

She couldn't seem to make her voice work. The simplicity of the lobby design, the feeling of the outdoors being brought inside. Everything was perfect. Halfway to the ballroom, she turned, a smile ghosting her lips. "Castle…"

He stepped forward, his head tilted in confusion. "Is something wrong? Because I can get that fixed before people start showing up," he stammered, pulling his phone from his pocket and scrolling through contacts to find the florist or the building owner. When she didn't speak for a few seconds, he stopped and looked up.

She was just standing there, blinking back the tears that were fighting to escape. She wiped a stray one away before answering. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong, Castle. Come on, I want to see the other room." Kate walked toward the ballroom, knowing that he would follow her.

The ballroom was a garden. Low grass hedges ran along the edge of the room, flowers planted amongst the blades. More blooms, in the same large, polished pots as those in the lobby, were placed around the tables. Overhead, balls of flowers hung from the ceiling amid lanterns. There was a dance floor of light-colored wood in the middle of the room, a big band group setting up in a corner.

Kate turned to try and express her admiration of the room only to find that she was alone. She set her coat and bag on the nearest table, wandering between tables and looking at the ceiling. The simplicity spoke loudly. She couldn't remember mentioning her mother's favorite season to Castle, but he had nailed it. Johanna Beckett had loved spring – the symbolic meaning of rebirth behind it and the explosion of colors in the normally grayscale city. Kate still remembered picnics in Central Park in early spring, the two of them braiding dandelions into crowns and teasingly placing them on her father's head.

As if he were reading her thoughts, suddenly, something dropped onto her head. She reached up to investigate it, but someone grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Don't ruin it!"

Castle stepped out from behind her and released her wrist. "Flower crowns. Took Alexis, Mother, and I _forever_ to finish enough of them for the guests."

She quirked a brow, fighting the urge to either cross her arms or reach up to grab the crown anyway. "I don't get to know what type of flowers they are?"

"Oh, a whole bunch. All different colors." He stood back, looking her over from her new flower crown to the four-inch heels. "Beautiful."

"Thanks, Castle." She glanced at her watch, the hands ticking to 6:18. With a little nod, she smiled back at him. "Any other surprises tonight?"

He winked, looping his arm through hers again. "I guess you'll have to wait and see."

They walked out to the lobby to start greeting guests. There was a wide assortment. The crew from the precinct was mingling with their boss's bosses. Jim Beckett was talking to the mayor, stirring a glass of iced tea, as talked with his free hand. Lanie had found Alexis and the two of them were snapping photos of everyone, including themselves in a very Myspace-ish manner.

Kate had stuck with water, a lemon thrown in to make it appear to be a cocktail. She had tried to mingle, to socialize with the people that signed her paychecks, celebrities, and the people she saw every day in the precinct. But she couldn't. Another glance at her watch told her it was 6:56. Setting the tumbler on the nearest table, she found her coat and scarf and pulled them on. Castle was arguing about sports with the Police Commissioner and the District Attorney until she tapped him lightly on the upper arm. Excusing himself, he let her lead him to a corner.

"I'll be back. There's something that Dad and I need to do before we can celebrate, okay?" When he nodded, she could see the skepticism in his eyes. "I promise I'll be back. Forty-five minutes tops." She handed her flower crown to him.

After gathering Jim Beckett away from the mayor with a smile and an apology, they went out to get in her dad's car. She drove, letting him sit in the passenger seat and look at the snow gently falling from the sky. She made a quick stop at a florist that was open late before pulling through the wrought iron gates of the cemetery.

For a few minutes, the two of them just sat in the warm car. Then, Jim made the first move: he opened the door and, pulling his collar up around his neck, set out toward the polished rose granite headstone. Kate gathered up to bouquet of daffodils and followed him. The snow stopped when they reached Johanna Beckett's headstone. Kate had to smile, looking up at the dark sky, mentally thanking her mother. Her watch said it was 7:26. _Close enough_, she thought, as she looked over at her father.

"Hey, Jo," her father started, running his hand along the top of the granite. "Big night for you tonight. Your daughter's shadow is brilliant. There's a fundraiser tonight, for you, to help students that want to work for the people normally ignored in the legal system. What you did." He managed to get through the entire statement before the tears started. "Even when you're gone, you're helping people, Jo."

He kissed the tips of his fingers, pressing them to her name. "I love you, Johanna." He turned, squeezing Kate's shoulder. "I'll be in the car. You two can talk."

Once her father started back to the still-running car, Kate stepped forward, fingering the hem of her coat. "Hi, Mom. You stopped it from snowing." She wiped a tear away. "The fundraiser is beautiful. It's like spring inside, flowers everywhere. You'd love it. God, I wished you were here to see it. Castle outdid himself. Mom, it was like he was reading my mind. He knew about spring, about the flower crowns from our picnics." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I'll come back next week and tell you about it. Promise." She leaned down, placing the daffodils at the base of the stone. Kate ran her hand over the face of the granite, letting her fingertips fall into the engravings as she straightened. "I love you, Mom. Miss you more every single day."

She walked slowly back to the car, sliding into the front seat. Her father's hand covered hers on the steering wheel. "She'd be so proud of you, Katie." She nodded, biting her lower lip.

"I know, Dad." She shifted the car into 'drive' and started back toward the fundraiser reception.

The party had started when they parked the car in the closest garage. Dinner was just being served as Kate and her father sat at one of the tables. As she took a sip of the water in her glass, Castle placed his fingertips on her wrist.

"You okay, Kate?"

She smiled, genuinely, and nodded. "Better than fine. Mom stopped it from snowing." She didn't see his confused expression as she buttered a roll and broke off a piece to eat. He dropped her flower crown back onto her head, catching her gaze when she looked up at him.

Their table was similar to the head table at a wedding. She and her dad were there, along with Castle, the mayor, and the dean of her mother's law school. After dinner and a few minutes of small talk, the dean, a tall, slender man with kind brown eyes, stood up and did the typical knife-to-glass to get the room's attention.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. I know Johanna would appreciate all of you making the time. The University of New York School of Law is proud to add the Johanna Beckett Memorial Scholarship to its list of aid for future students, those that plan on helping the voiceless in this city's legal system. And I think that Johanna's daughter has a few words as well?" he let his voice go up at the end, indicating the question as he looked down at her.

She stood up, brushing a hand over her skirt as she looked at her father. "It has been twelve years. Twelve years tonight since that evening when we found out Mom was gone. In the years after she passed the bar exam, she dedicated herself to the people in the criminal justice system that were ignored. The ones that couldn't find representation that knew what they were doing, lawyers that wanted to hear their stories and took the idea of 'innocent until proven guilty' to heart. Mom was special in that sense.

"Anyway, this came up in a case a few months back. What would I do with a winning lottery ticket? I had thought about it, though I would never admit it, but my partner's idea totally smashed mine. This scholarship means more to me, to my dad, than I think even Castle knows. And trust me; he is incredibly adept at reading minds." She waited until the laughter died down, smiling down at Castle. "Mom may be gone, but she is certainly not forgotten. And thanks to everyone here, her memory will live on after even we are gone. Thank you."

She sat back down, the shaking of her hands barely perceptible. She finally allowed herself to motion to a wandering waitress for a glass of vodka.

Castle leaned in, whispering directly into her ear. "Katherine Beckett, you truly are extraordinary."

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><p><em>AN: Honestly, reading and writing fanfiction has kept me semi-sane through this hiatus. The reviews make it so much more rewarding, knowing that people are enjoying these little drabbles. Please take the time and review, even if it's just a few words - they all make me smile like a fool. Plus, they may urge me to get the next chapter up and that one is way more fluffy than this one was!_


	2. Chapter Two

_A/N: Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone from Tumblr that suggested songs for our couple to dance to. They were all wonderful, but I thought of one in the middle of the night that worked out perfectly, in my opinion. You were all amazing to have taken the time to suggest songs!_

**_Disclaimer: Castle and it's characters belong to Andrew Marlowe. Since I am not Andrew Marlowe, they are not mine._**

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><p>The night had lightened up after her speech. The big band had gotten everyone out on the dance floor, mixing jazzed-up Top 40 songs with tunes from past decades. After half an hour of dancing, the sidebar filled with desserts.<p>

Kate sat at the table, pushing the honeydew melon aside in her bowl of fruit salad. She had danced for the first few songs until her feet hurt, then she grabbed some fruit, slipped her heels off under the table, and settled in to watch the dance floor. She was eating the fruit in rainbow order, the last of the watermelon stabbed onto her fork. It was halfway to her mouth when the chair next to her scraped back.

"You okay?"

She turned, placing the watermelon back in the bowl. "As fine as I can be tonight." When Castle's face fell a little, she rested her hand on his forearm. "Tonight meaning January 9th. This event, though, it…" she paused, looking for the words, "it brightens the mood a little. Tonight will never be a flawless night for me because she'll never be here for it. But that's not your fault. There's nothing I would change about this event, Rick."

"I'm glad, then."

Kate popped the watermelon into her mouth, letting the taste of summer trickle down her throat. She was left contemplating either the mandarin oranges or cantaloupe, her fork hovering over a wedge of orange. Her eyes lifted to the side where Castle was still sitting, watching her. "What are you still doing here?"

"Umm… I'm not sure, actually."

She could tell he knew exactly why he was still sitting next to her. "Okay then." The mandarin orange slice was next to go. He was twisting his hands together, nervously tugging at the sleeves of his jacket. Kate set the fork on the table, turning in the seat to face him. "Seriously, Castle."

He stood up, pulling his jacket straighter. "Beckett, could I have this dance?"

She took a moment to reflect on how much he resembled a teenage boy at prom asking his crush for the first slow dance of the night and wasn't sure if she was entirely comfortable with the metaphor. But he was being sweet and it was one night, a single dance. A single slow dance wouldn't change their relationship. Kate smiled, placing her hand on his arm as she stood up, leaving the black heels under the table. "It would be my pleasure, Castle."

It wasn't like a high school dance where, once a slow song started playing, the floor cleared out. As the band played the first notes, many of the dancers already there partnered up. Hands rested on waists and shoulders, linked behind necks, heads settling onto men's chests.

Kate suddenly felt butterflies erupting in her stomach, her eyes scanning the crowd of couples as she licked her lips nervously. She felt Castle's hand tug hers gently, spinning her to face him. Without her heels, she was five inches shorter than him. He took her fingertips, placing them on his upper arm. "Breathe, Kate," he whispered as the band started playing. "Relax."

The lead singer was swaying along with the dancers as he started the first verse, imitating the original artist with a low, husky, "Wise men say, only fools rush in…"

He kept the steps simpler than the ones from the fundraiser he had dragged her to three years ago. She looked past his arm at the other people, but could feel his eyes on her as they moved in little circles.

"You sure you're okay?"

When she looked up, his blue eyes were a mix of concern and something that had her heart beating just a little faster. "Right now? Just fine." After years of playing it safe, of protecting her heart with a fortress of steel, Kate decided to take a chance and risk her heart.

As the singer crooned out "Take my hand, take my whole life, too…", Kate laid her head on Castle's chest, flattening the curls that she had spent half an hour teasing to perfection. She felt him jump a little, the steps of their small dance falter, and his heartbeat start to race.

"Kate, I-"

"Shh… "

Castle could feel the eyes of everyone on them. Part of the staring had to do with the fact that the host and hostess were dancing. The other part came from the family at the Twelfth. The two pairs had stopped dancing on the side of the floor and were now busy exchanging money. Lanie and Esposito looked pleased while Ryan kept shooting glares in their direction, Jenny watching the three people around her with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

He looked down at the head of brown curls resting on his chest. With her body pressed so closely to his, he could hear her heartbeat. It was steady, as was her breathing.

Her eyes were closed, relaying completely on him to guide the dance. It was such a reversal from how their strange partnership normally ran; he'd throw his heart out in front of her and she'd pretend she didn't see it. Now, it was up to him. This time, it was her heart lying at his feet – he could either pick it up and protect it as his own or ignore it, his own heart too broken from her past actions to care about hers.

She felt his hand leave her waist, the area suddenly colder. Then, he was running that hand through her hair, her right arm that had been resting on his bicep curling onto his chest. "Rick…" The hand froze at her neck.

"What? What's wrong?"

He felt the vibration of her laugh through his chest. "Nothing's wrong." She shifted her head without lifting it. "The song's over is all."

She was right. The singer had faded out the last note of the song, people clapping appreciatively while he made a little bow before turning to discuss the next song with the band members.

Kate stepped back a step, her left hand still holding onto his shoulder. She took a deep breath, then looked up into his eyes, a little frightened at the possibility of what she could see there. What emotion hit her from his blue eyes had her reeling.

She closed her eyes, then turned away, letting her fingers trail down his arm as she ran from the ballroom. She faintly heard him calling out her name, people's eyes shifting to watch her, but she ignored them all.

The lobby was partially empty – the bartenders from the cocktail party earlier were cleaning up before everyone left. She paused on the soft green carpet, her eyes glancing for a place to hide. The hint of a hallway to her right had her pivoting. The hallway was deserted, the light marble still polished in the darkness. Kate slowed to a jog, stopping only when she was halfway down the hall and less visible from the entrance before she collapsed against the wall.

For once, she realized what Castle felt like every time he held his heart out to her and she turned away to go out to dinner with Tom or Josh. She felt like her world was crumbling in while the walls around her heart built up again, stronger than before. It wasn't the same – the love she had seen in his eyes surely wasn't present in hers when he looked at her for those past months. She didn't know what she had expected to come of their dance, but this surge of emotions wasn't it. She let her head fall back against the marble wall, the sharp pain of the motion cutting through the cloud of emotions.

"Kate?"

His voice echoed down the hall. She twisted her head and saw his figure framed in the light from the lobby and held her breath, praying he'd leave. Her luck on this night every year was never deep, she thought, as she watched him step down the hallway tentatively, his dress shoes clicking slightly.

He called out her name again. She squeezed her eyes close and clenched her fingers around the material of her dress. "Go away, Castle." She hated how weak her voice sounded to her ears.

"No." He stepped up next to her, his hand reaching out to touch her wrist, but he hesitated. "Listen, I'm sorry if that went too far. Tonight especially."

Uncomfortable with the fact that she wanted him to wrap his arms around her, Kate walked across the hall, holding her elbows in her hands. "It's not your fault, really. I'm not used to being out in public tonight, never mind the centerpiece."

"Which I should have known. I'm sorry."

She covered her face with her hands, wiping at stray tears that had escaped. When he stepped forward, she took a corresponding step backwards, her back hitting the wall. "No. Just… hold on." He didn't stop. A second later, she found herself pressed against him, the wall supporting her. His hands were on either side of her shoulders, holding her in place. "Castle, get off!"

"Kate, I know what you did back there. I'm not completely stupid yet. Furthermore, I know what it took for you to do that." When she gave a short, humorless laugh, he tilted her chin up with a finger. "I do. You don't think I've done the same thing countless times over the past three years? I recognize the motions."

Kate swallowed down the ball of guilt that had built itself up in her throat. "So? What are you going to do now that you're in my position?"

"This." He leaned down, his finger still holding her chin, and brushed his lips across hers. He paused, savoring the breath that escaped her. Taking a chance, he moved back in, this one more substantial. He moved his hand to cradle the back of her head, deepening the kiss enough to draw a soft moan from her.

"Castle…" He drew back an inch, his lips still impossibly close to hers. His eyes traveled up to meet hers, saw they were cloudy and darker than usual. "Don't stop."

It was the permission he had been waiting for. With one hand still holding her head, the pins from her hair poking him, he let the other one sweep down her back, pulling her off the wall and closer to him. It rested at the small of her back as their lips met again. She lifted herself up on her toes, pressing her lips against his. Without the light, they relied on their sense of touch. Her fingers curled around the lapels of the suit jacket as her tongue danced along his lips. The hand at her back skimmed down to the hem of her dress, inching it up slowly.

"Oh my god, Kate," he sighed as she nipped at his lower lip. He darted his own tongue out, tasting the fruit from earlier in her mouth. Her hands ran through his hair, pulling lightly on the fistfuls of dark brown hair.

Suddenly, she pulled back, her breathing heavy. "Stop." Her lips felt swollen when she reached up to push her now-tangled hair back from her face. "I can't, Castle." When his face fell, she placed a hand on the side of his face, turning it back to meet her eyes. "Not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon."

"Okay." He bent his head so their foreheads met, their noses brushing. "I can wait, you know. I'll always be here whenever you're ready."

"I know." She pushed up, brushing her lips across his one last time. "Can we go enjoy the rest of Mom's party now?"

His hands trailed down her arms, one of his pinkies catching in hers. "Definitely."

The bartenders had gone, the lights that dotted the green path dimmed. The spinning lights from a cruiser driving by lit up the area. He held the door to the ballroom open for her, but she kept walking past it.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

She spun a little. "Fix my hair." When he looked skeptical, she smiled. "I'll be back. Promise."

As she walked to the bathroom, she pulled the hairpins out, letting her hair down completely. She ran her hands through it, hoping to get the tangles out or make it look like it was supposed to be a mess. It didn't look bad, but Lanie would definitely be able to notice the difference.

She paused on the carpet outside the ballroom again, curling her toes into the plush fibers. Kate looked down, her hair falling on either side of her face as she slipped the sapphire ring onto her pinky. "Mom, I think I'm in love. It just happened, but I guess that's the way it always works. You don't expect it, you can't prepare for it. It throws itself at you and you can either let it in or push it away. I've pushed him away enough. It's time to let him in."

With a little nod, she slipped her finger out of the ring, letting it fall back onto her chest. "Okay…"

He wasn't at their table, but Lanie was. The medical examiner was picking through the fruit Kate had left on the table. When Kate sat down, pulling the bowl from Lanie, her friend grabbed her hand. "Girl, what happened to your hair?"

"Nothing," she replied with a teasing smile. "Let's go dance."

As they walked around the tables to the dance floor, Kate searched the crowd for him. He was standing with the mayor, a hand on the man's shoulder as they shared a joke. He looked up just as her eyes met his.

_Soon._

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><p><em>AN: This one was tough to finish. We all know that Beckett plays it close to the vest, but I didn't think I'd have to pry out her feelings like I did. There were points where I was literally yelling at her to just tell me what she wanted to say. But in the end, I think it came out well._

_The song, if none of you caught the lyrics, was Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You." I thought it fit them perfectly._

_Of course, I adore reviews. You can agree or disagree - I love hearing both sides (honestly, I do). Plus, I'll need to get used to hearing criticism, since I'm taking a creative writing class this fall and there might be a lot of criticism from classmates and the professor. I'd better get used to that now with my fun drabbles than with bad grades on assignments. So please, take the few minutes to write something after you click that "Review this Story" button right at the bottom of the page - they truly make my day._


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